The Line
by Willblake
Summary: Some scenes on my mind. They want to cross the line, but neither of them knows how. Lightman&Foster. please r&r. complete now!
1. Chapter 1

The Line

Disclaim: I do not own Lie to Me. This is not exactly a story, at least in the traditional sense. They're just some scenes on my mind which are pushing me to take them down. By the way, I'm not a native English speaker and, as you see, I'm writing to practise it. Please help me pick out the mistakes so that I can improve my English. I'll appreciate that. Danke! :D

"You okay?" he asks, perfectly calm in the surface, but he still feels so hard to hold back the emotion devouring his vulnerable heart which trembles when he witnesses tears trickling down her beautiful face.

"I'm all right." she shoots him a weak smile, her voice trailing off when another wave of tears fills the corner of her blue eyes.

"I'm sorry about all the secrets, love." he observes her reaction cautiously, feeling liquid in his own eyes. He stretches out his hand, wanting to wipe away the evil tears tainting her beauty, but stops in the air when it's only inches from her face. He cannot cross the bloody line which they've tried so hard to keep. He flinches at his own cowardice. He IS a coward! He condemns himself deep in mind.

"Cal?" her voice pulls him back into reality.

He forces a smile, putting his hesitant hand on her shoulder and beginning rubbing it. "Sorry, love. I didn't mean it. I just cannot bear seeing you hurt."

"Cal," he likes the way his name is called from her precious lips, which gives the name much more meaning than it really has." We both know quite well that it's not necessary for you to take all the risks…to… go through all the sufferings."

"Of course not,"he sighs deeply, "unless they are coming to you". She turns pale on hearing the words. Sadness, surprise, guilt are written on all over her face, but there is still something that he isn't quite sure about. Is that…nah, impossible. She respects that line.

"Fancy a quick bite?" he asks, clearly knowing that she is not in the mood of dining right now. "Sorry, Cal, maybe next time?"

"All right then…I'll drive you home." He offers with determination. She looks into his grey green eyes shining with hope and nods.

The night is dead dark and quiet, with only a few people hanging around at a leisurely pace. Cal's car penetrates through the endless darkness as if to tear the night into half with incredible force. The road seems unbelievably long this moment. It extends as far as the eye can see, losing itself in the invisible distance.

Within the car, neither of the two breaks the silence spreading among them which is in no ways comfortable. Lightman holds the steering wheel tightly, his jaw clenched. With something occupying his hands, he could be discouraged, at least for now, from pulling her into his hug, which he wants, right now, in the worst possible way. She rests her head on the window, lost in some deep thoughts. He bites his lower lip and decides to set the ball rolling. Seeing her like this, he is better off being a dead man.

"Look, love, I know that you…love…B…Burns…but he's left and you need to move on…""Cal, that you can read people like a book…doesn't mean you can understand all the emotions. Just…just stay off this, all right? I will fix this myself…would you please try…to mind your own business? I'm fine, really, you can have my word on it." She makes a small smile, pretending to have got rid of all the sorrow. No wrinkles around the eyes…it's not a genuine smile. She's faking it, she's lying…his face goes down.

"Wanna fool me?" Her smile fades away, with the upper eyelid drawn down under her oblique brows. Of course he will unmask her so called happiness. Of course he will see through the lie. After all, that's what he does for a living…

"Sorry, Foster…I…I shouldn't…do that…sorry…"his voice is full of guilt, which is pushing him to the verge of despair. He raises his right hand and wipes a strand of hair away from her eyes. He chuckles to himself, "You know what? You are even more gorgeous now." She didn't respond for a minute or so, making him worry whether he's made another stupid mistake. "What's on your mind?" He asks cautiously.

"You know, Cal, the line we've been talking about…I think we'd better keep it. It's…good for both of us…"

"Why? Why cannot you just stop mentioning the bloody hell line?" He's literally screaming, but shortly regrets for the outburst of emotion, when he notices a slice of fear lingering in her eyes.

"Sorry, love, sorry…"

"You're clear about what we do, right? That we can detect all the lies makes the world too real for us to bear. If…if…we involve personal feelings in the business…I don't think we can still remain …objective when we face a case…you know what I mean?"

"Yeah, I got that…"he whispers the words through his teeth. "Just by the way…it's yours."

"What?" she's surprised. Cal completely lost her. "The damned line…it's yours. I 'respect' it because it's you who set it, not because I agree with what it means."

"Cal," she swallows hard as if she had a lump in her throat. "You still cannot see the point here, can you?" She turns her head towards the window.

It's raining heavily outside, which neither of them has ever noticed. Just as she is beginning to find the ride long, the car screeched to a halt, almost jolting her out of the seat. "What are you…"she didn't even finish whatever she intends to say when the sight of a blank-looked Cal strikes her heart. "What do you want?" she asks sadly as if talking to herself. He remains silent for a split second.

"I want this…"


	2. Chapter 2

**I'm really sorry for the delay. Busy with school stuff. I was exhausted by preparations for several presentations. :( Anyway, thank you for the reviews. Very helpful and inspiring. Thank you, Dr. Callian I really appreciate your help. Hope you like this chapter, though I know it's not quite good. Please R&R. Vielen Dank! :D **

He leans forward reluctantly, pressing his lips on her soft warm ones. She is totally taken by surprise but doesn't resist. Maybe, she doesn't want to either? His right hand put on her back rubs up and down gently, trying its best to sooth her muscle strained at his ill-considered action. After what seems to have been an eternity, he departs from her unwillingly. She opens her mouth as if to say something, but nothing comes out.

"You know my feelings, don't ya? Why ignore that? Who the hell have you been lying to? Eh? You, Foster! Yourself!" He pants heavily like a fish bereft of air. Throwing all that he has wanted to say for such a long time completely exhausted him.

She cuts eye contact, feeling tears forming in her eyes. She doesn't want him to see her crying. She doesn't want to show him her weakness and fear. She's become used to shouldering everything on her own each time she is left behind, desperate and depressed. First Alec, and now Dave. Dave…her lips tremble slightly at the thought of the man who has been shielding her from dangers as well as secrets. She was in love with the man, wasn't she? At least she thinks so…  
Cal waits nervously, like a little boy tossing a coin wishing for heads. He can see the blatant sadness on her porcelain-like face .He can feel the struggle filling every inch of her body. He takes in everything she feels. He always sees Gillian Foster through, though revealing her true feelings is the last thing in the world he'd like to do.  
"Cal, just drive. I'm tired…And you should go pick Emily up."  
_Deflection…_  
"Gi…Foster," he corrects himself awkwardly, "It's 9 o'clock at night. And Emily's at her mom's." Rubbing his temples, he's just about to say something else when some quick thoughts flash across his mind warning him not to intervene with her inner world.  
He's been crushed, the sight of the dark circles around her hazy eyes, which is an overt manifestation of her lack of sleep for countless nights, making it even worse. He takes a deep breath and replies in a soft tone. "Fine."  
A long time passes without a word until the car slips to a halt at the entrance of a street leading to Gillian's house. He looks through the window, remembering being here several months ago in the middle of a night after he was taken as hostage.

_She opened the door, surprised to find Cal outside. Her hair was tied into a perfect shape at the back of her head, with a strand dangling in front of her face. She touched his wound in the head lightly, sorrow and sympathy shimmering in her eyes. He stepped backwards, intending to leave, his eyes still locked with hers, but moved back before he himself realized. "Can I sleep in your spare bedroom tonight, if it's not too much of a problem?" He asked, stumbling over his words. "Of course." A smile lightened her face.  
_

He's brought out of the unforgettable memory by the loud sound of thundering and is suddenly attacked by the coldness of night. He diverts his sight to Gillian who, much to his surprise, has been sound asleep, her chest rising up and down rhythmically to her smooth breath. A small smile finds its way to the corner of his lips. He runs his hand through her hair, inhaling the fragrance of her unique perfume. "Gillian…"he strokes her face and his voice is trembling, "I love you." He knows she didn't hear it, but that's the only reason he's talking. He doesn't know for sure why he has to wear a mask all the time, why he cannot just spit the three simple words out earlier, why he cannot envelope her in his hug without worrying that will ruin their relationship…  
Gillian moves a little in the seat. Her arms crossed in front of her body were squeezed tighter, trying to defend herself against the chilly air. He takes off his coat and pulls it over her body.  
"Don't go, please…"she murmurs in her dream, her closed eyes failing to contain tears which are now streaming down her cheeks.  
He trails the streak of tears with his thumb. "Sorry love, he…Burns has left."  
"I…I love you, Dave…" Her voice is barely audible.

"Yeah…he got that lot." Though he hates to admit that she loves Burns, he knows it's no use denying the fact. "He seems quite nice." He whispers.  
"Sorry, but I can't go with you. I…I can't live without…without HIM…"  
He appears to be frozen by the last words. HIM…who?  
Gillian tosses to the other side, woken by the fall of the little blanket. "Cal…"she calls his name softly, blinking several times to adjust her eyes to the dim light within the car.  
"Here we are, love." He manages a smile, disappointed that she woke so quickly. He could have watched her sleeping until the night conceals itself in the morning sunlight.  
It has almost rained over.  
"I'd better go…See you tomorrow then, Cal….Thanks." She puts her hand on the handle of the door. Cal catches her by the wrist. "I walk you there…"  
The street embraced by gloom was washed by the heavy rain, wet and slippery. They walk side by side. Cal insists that she put on his coat.  
"Burns…he…he asked you to leave with him, didn't he?" He breaks the silence, uneasy about the topic he picks.  
Her eyebrows are raised high, her jaws falling.  
_Surprise. _  
"Sorry, I didn't eavesdrop or something. You said that when you were sleeping just now. And…you burst…nah, nothing…"He is flustered, eager to find an excuse. "I don't want to meddle with your relationship with Burns, I swear. But you really need to listen to your own voice, love. I mean…you lo…love him," It's so hard for him to say that out, but he continues, "then…you…should… just go…" He stutters, seeking the proper words.

"Cal, you know that I won't. My whole life's here. How…how can I just turn my head and leave all these behind?" A twinge rushes through her chest after hearing her partner's "brilliant advice".

"All I care is your happiness, Foster, that's all! I don't want to see you like this all day long. Holy God! What else can I ask of you?... Give me a reason for not leaving." He cries at the top of his lung.

"Trust me, you don't wanna know." She shakes her head and sighs. "I'm home…thank you, Cal."

He looks her directly in the eyes and then steps forward to give her a small hug, rocking her lightly back and forth. "Good night, love." He pulls her away, looking at her face. "Have a good sleep. Everything will be fine."

She nods him a "good night" and goes into the house which has been sheltering her from the cold and cruel reality, leaving a broken Cal outside. He stares at the door which blocks her from his sight, expecting the light to be turned on. But it isn't. All that he can see is darkness and the heavy door or a wall built in her heart.

At the other side of the "wall", Gillian falls to the floor, her back against the door, indulging her tears. "I love you, Cal…"


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

**Thousand times sorry for the delay and finally here comes the update. This will be the last chapter, I'm afraid, ending the scenes I've been wondering about. Don't wanna stop here, but that's all I have right now. And please, as usual, emend it& help me improve. Please R& R .Vielen Dank! **

"It will be a blessing if you go with me, Gillian. But I don't want to push you." Burns's voice echoes in her head.

She stared down at her feet, like a kid having made an irrevocable mistake. "You…love him…Of course I'm not an expert at this field, and I'm not big on self-affirmation. But I definitely can see that in your eyes, and I saw the same thing in his."  
She looked up to meet those eyes rife with concern, biting her lower lip to hold back what she wanna say.  
"Follow your heart, Gill, for the sake of both of us." Burns rocked her lightly, trying to pull her out of her own frantic fantasy.  
"I don't want to lose you." She finally spoke up, searching the nicer way to express herself. "But…sorry Dave, I cannot live without HIM…I love you…I mean…as your…your good friend…I didn't even realize that until Cal said he…wanted me. And suddenly I was faced with the fact. I cannot…lie to you and myself anymore. We've been making a huge mistake. I…I do not wanna embed my …love for him in you. Dave, you deserve more than I can give…Sorry, I…I really am." She tripped over words, feeling his eyes on her shining with empathy.  
His lips were curled to form a small smile. "No need to apologize, Gill. I owed you an apology for concealing my 'little dirty secrets'. So we are even now." Burns squeezed her limp hands, warming them with his palms.  
Her shoulders shivered slightly.  
"You know…I can still be relied on, if you need someone to talk to."  
"It's all my fault…"She said, her voice burdened with guilt.  
"What?" He asked softly. As a psychologist, he knew quite well how to lead his "patient" step by step to talk to him heart to heart.  
She found her tongue eventually, "I set the stupid line between us and I've been ignoring his feelings. But…when I was faced with the fact that leaving with you meant leading a life without him…I…I came to realize …I've was wrong. I've made a big mistake."  
"It's okay, it's okay." He put his hand on her shoulder cautiously, making sure she was not intended to shrug out from under his touch. "Don't censure yourself for that. It's never too late to tell one you love him as long as both of you are still alive." He pushed her hair to the back of her ears, unveiling her delicate face. "You love him, then just go across the line and tell him…"  
Burns's voice slowly fades away, when she wakes up suddenly and feels the cold floor beneath her body. She stands up slowly and rubs her aching back, surprised to find it begins raining cats and dogs outside again. Perhaps, he was right, she thinks to herself, playing Burns's words over and over again in her mind. Maybe, she will erase the stupid line someday, letting Cal know she loves him and inviting him into her inner world where a place has always been kept for him…always…

With all these thoughts whirling around, for a second or two, she seems to be so stifled that she can barely breathe. She feels her way back to the door in the darkness with a view to taking a deep breath to refresh herself.

"Cal?" his name escapes from her lips. She is astonished to see him, soaking wet, seated at her doorsteps with his face buried in his hands.

Hearing her calling, he raises his head and turns back to shoot Gillian a bright smile. "Hi, love."

"What…what on earth are you doing here?"

He lifts himself up from the cold wet ground, grinning at her. "Nothing…special…just popped by and wanna check on ya." Water is dripping down his hair, face and shirt.

"Why…"she is about to ask something, when unexpectedly wrapped in the cold rain as she steps forward. She beckons him to come inside the house.

Cal clumps towards the "heavy" door, following her without saying more. Or maybe, he couldn't find the conversation starter either. What else is supposed to be said for a man who shows up in front of a woman's door in the middle of a rainy night?

He steps in, welcomed, as usual, by the aroma of her hair lingering in the air.

"So…you haven't answered my question yet, Cal?" She asks, her head down.

"I remember I have, love." Replying casually, he rocks himself back and forth on his heels, looking around with great interest to find some distraction.

"Oh, that's a deflection, that is." She smiles, belying the overwhelming disappointment surging inside. "As a liar, you're really not as good as what you used to be." She giggles, feeling the "mask" is abandoning her and tears coming back to haunt.

He keeps silent, tracing, with his penetrating eyes, the hint of her true feelings which are almost leaking out. A twinge is churning up in his chest, burning his skin without a slice of hesitation.

"Don't tell me you haven't left at all!" She stares at him in the way he often does. "Oh, you didn't leave." She murmurs, stuck in a dilemma of happiness and sorrow.

"No, I didn't." He releases a sigh of relief. "I always ignore that you're also a brilliant lie detector, don't I?" He runs a hand through his wet hair, "Oh, second only to me." He adds with a mischievous smile.

"Why…"

"I…I…I thought you might feel a little bit…lonely, and…and…I didn't see the lights on. That worried me. It does…You…you…understand?" He cobbles up his words awkwardly, flustered. "How…how were you done?"

"I'm fine." She nods, playing about with her fingers.

"Good." He pauses, for the first time, since they met, unsure about what she's wondering about, which is literally ironic for an expert of his kind. "I'll see myself out then. It's…it's rather late. You'd go get some sleep. Serious." He says quickly, giving a cursory look at the clock on the wall—2:40a.m. Bloody hell! He curses silently. "I'm on my way. You…you okay? Right?" He stumbles along and moves hesitantly towards the door in shuffling way, coughing several times.

"Cal, you feel well?" She asks worryingly.

"Peachy!" he clears his throat, squeezing the word out, a grimace on his face. "See you in the office, love."

"You cannot!" she suddenly says in a voice out of nowhere, blushing. "I…I…mean…it's raining heavily now and you've been wet as a rat. You don't wanna get sick, do you?"

He stops, eyes on ground, as if to cudgel his brains to find words.

_Gillian, do not coop up your heart any longer. _She encourages herself. _Stare down the damned line in your efforts!_

"Stay?" she suggests. "Avail yourself of the spare bedroom…"

Her beautiful smile conjures up memories of "that night".

"It's no trouble…never…" she adds, when she spots the hesitation on his weary face.

He looks over his shoulder at her, sensing the line crinkles and curls in the fire of their unspoken passion and turns into ashes, falling off the space between them in little black papery flakes.

Then, silence descends.

"Eh…I…I don't know, love." He shakes his head, sparing no effort to get rid of the demons whirling about tearing him into pieces by the difficult choice.

"What?"

"Whether…I should…" he mumbles. It seems reaming that out has already taken the pressure off.

She steps into the bathroom, leaving Cal alone for a while, and returns with a towel in her hand. "Dry your hair or you'll catch a cold." She smiles, a dimly visible sorrow reflected in her blue eyes. "And…you know where the bathroom is…"

She has known his choice. After all, Gillian Foster can always understand him and decipher the code of that elusive heart.

"Thanks…love" he wants to say something else other than that, but his lips are suddenly attacked by hers. He's taken aback by her action which is now dangerously derailing their relationship from the route the line has instructed. His eyes are stretched open, a dumbfounded look freezing on his face, but slowly he pulls her closer to deepen that kiss, with a hand running through her glistening hair. They smile into each other's face, indulging tears in letting them down. Nothing else is said. Nothing is needed at the moment either. The very act of going across the line has sworn their love till doomsday whatever befalls.

He leans back, regaining his breath at the interval and feels his face warming from the light her eyes shed. Her tears—dappled face burns to the breeze, turning red, her heart beating frantically.

"I…" she feels words lose her, with all the overwhelming emotions stuck in her throat, refusing to be crammed down.

"Don't…I know…, love" he runs a hand over her cheek. "You don't have to…"

"No, Cal…let me…" she says, taking a deep breath to keep her composure.

Silence follows stealthily.

"I love you, Cal…and …I've been dying to let you know…"

"Shh…I know, love, I know…" he smiles, a real one. "I love you too." He murmurs, printing a kiss on her hair. "What…what about the line?"

She looks up, "Let it go, Cal. That's a dire mistake…"

The camouflage unveiled,

The falsehood detected,

The line effaced,

The vows exchanged,

There they stand,

Soul to soul,

Basking in the sun inside.

Love's all that's needed to be said.

THE END

22/10/2010


End file.
